Heroes Among the Stars
by RosarioVampireBoy
Summary: What would you do if you found the spirit of an eternal alien inside your body? For college student Richard Caziara and his friends that's exactly what has happened. With their newfound powers and friends they'll fight to survive as an eternal menace approaches their world. The fight for the future is about to begin. "The left hand of Takul must return from once it came."
1. Chapter 1 College Life

Heroes Among the Stars

Chapter 1

College Life

Well hello there, you may not know me, but believe me when I say by the end of this story you will. You see I may look like you average, overweight college student who suffers from asthma and mild self esteem issues, but that was only up until last year. You see a little over a year ago something happened that changed me and my friends forever, though I would sum it up right here and there I thought it would be best if you took a look at our very first adventure. But as much I would love to tell you the entire thing I think it would be best if my good old buddy, the narrator, took a seat and explained it all to you. Hit it up!

It began on an average day just like any other; the sun was out and the sounds of passing cars filled the air as young Richard pulled into the parking lot of his local community college. With most of his hours already filled up, and his last year approaching he knew that if he was serious about making in the real world that there could be no slacking off. So with his book bag over his shoulder, and his Art project in hand he began running towards the Cypress Building.

"Crap, only five minutes left. Come on, I can make it!" he thought to himself as he looked down at his watch.

Just as he turned the corner of the Goveners Building though he felt his cellphone vibrating in his pocket. He couldn't afford to stop and answer; so as he ran towards his first class he slipped his phone out and opened it up. Luckily it wasn't his parents calling to check up on him again, but instead his friend William, or as most knew him in the Anime/Manga Club as Kaos.

"Heyo Rich. How's it going this morning?" his friend asked.

"Can't talk~got to get to class." he replied as he felt his breath starting to short out.

"Whoa man, just take your time. If you push yourself too hard you'll keel over like last time remember?" he replied with concern.

"I can make it. Just give me~ another minute." he said as he bust into the building.

Damn his asthma, if it hadn't been for that he probably would be in the shape he was. Even when he was a kid and pretty thin it still caused so many problems for him, especially during baseball practice. Still, he was there and that was all that mattered. As he entered the elevator to head to the second floor though he heard the doors open again.

"Huh?"

But once he saw who it was he jumped back in a slight panic. Her long, flowing light brown hair, those gorgeous hazel eyes, and those curves, oh those magnificent curves just enchanted him. Such beauty, such beauty that he would never obtain that was. Still it didn't help that his body was beginning to tense up. Around guys he was fairly alright, but when around girls, especially attractive girls, it was as if his voice would just vanish. Yes, he was just that shy. It probably had to do with the fact that she was so good-looking while he wasn't so much. Still it didn't seem she had noticed him when she walked in, instead she seemed to wrapped up in the music coming from her ear buds to even open her eyes.

"Oh~what do I do? Should start-up a conversation, or just leave things the way they are? Ah! Come on think faster!" he though loudly to himself.

But just when he was about to speak the elevator stopped as the doors opened up. With a sigh though he took a step forward only to stop when they both touched. It seemed she wanted to get out first, and he had no problem with that.

"U-Um, you can go if you want?" he said as he offered her the lead.

For a moment he could feel her looking straight at him, but after a few seconds she simply flashed a smile and went on her way. Christ was his heart beating fast; not because of her looks, but instead he was simply nervous about what she would say. Well it seemed he had nothing to worry about except class.

"Right, and with a minute and a half to spare." he sighed as he rounded the corner.

Out of the two classes he was taking that semester Art 210 was defiantly the smallest. With only about ten students in total it didn't take him much time to find a place to sit, especially if it was among his friends. With his body refreshed after that little ride on the elevator all he did was simply sit back and relax as William greeted him just as always.

"Hey, what's up? You look kind of burnt out." he pointed out as they pulled out their assignment.

"Yeah, traffic was pretty bad, but I made it in one piece so there's that." he replied as he pulled out his sketch.

"Heh, that's pretty nice. What's he suppose to be? Some kind of vampiric knight or something?" he asked as they tore out their drawings.

"Close, a modern-day vampire who fights off other monsters to protect his city."

"Sounds cool~wait modern day vampire? He doesn't sparkle right?" he asked in suspicion.

"Uh no, sunlight weakens him. Water paralyzes him, garlic burns him, you know all the classic stuff."

"Nice."

"Yeah, so what's yours?" he asked as he slipped his assignment into the proper tray.

"Ah, the always classic, and always hansom barbarian."

"That's it?"

"A cybernetic barbarian. You see his electro hammer and all that going on?" he asked as he showed him the drawing.

"Oh yeah, heh sorry didn't notice it there." he replied back as they both relaxed as their instructor walked in.

As per the norm the entire class consisted of nothing but one big lecture, followed by another assignment for them to do for the next day. According to the sheet they were all instructed to design a character based on a mythological animal, but to also add a little twist to it. It seemed simple enough, but he didn't have time to scretch it out; next he had E-tech 215 to get to.

"Hey man I'll see you at the club after school right?" asked William.

"Sure will, just don't go starting without me." he replied back as he gave a little wave goodbye.

Ah their little club, it wasn't much, and it only consisted of he and his friends, but it was still the only place at school he could call home. With the day almost over though he kept his head held high, and just hoped the King of Salt didn't find him. That's all he wanted, for a day to go by when he didn't have to run into that punk.

"Oh...no stomach I can't feed you." he told himself as his stomach began growling.

Ever since the month before he had taken it upon himself to lose what weight he could, and that meant no big meals, no more junk food, no more sodas, and hitting up the gym at school at least four times a week. Though he had been going for some time though he couldn't tell if he was losing any or not. If anything he just wanted to lose that gut of his so he would look at least somewhat appealing, but maybe his family genes were stopping that from happening.

As he approached the room though he heard a familiar voice behind him as he opened the door. It was none other than his instructor, and friend, Ricky, though his real name was Ricardo. Though young and short he still did his best to teach all of his student about the entertainment industry, and what it took to make it. As an instructor he was great, as a friend though he was even better.

"Hey, what's up Richard?" he asked as he unlocked the door.

"Oh you know school, life."

"Cool, by the way do you have that screenplay I asked for?"

"Screenplay?"

"Yeah, you know the one for our game?" he asked as he propped up the projector.

"No...when was this?"

Oh he was in trouble. When he saw his eyebrows twitch he knew he had royally screwed up.

"You don't remember?! I told you to have them by today. Seriously, all I asked for was a ten page screenplay for the beginning of Act 4 and you couldn't even do that."

"Alright I'm sorry. Look, how about I have them in by Thursday morning? That way Art is out-of-the-way, and I'll have time to work on them see?"

"Thursday...thursday...fine, but we'll need to switch some things up to make this work. I'll get Jeremy on working with the sprites, and Tiffany will be on designing the new characters, and as for you~?"

"I'll be sketching out the screenplay, gotcha."

"Good. Also were you heading to Comic Con this weekend?"

"Nah, I barely get enough money as it is, and with the end approaching I'm being kind of conservative with my money."

"Understandable, but are you planning on getting a job soon?" he asked as others began to arrive.

"Hopefully, but I'm not sure if I should do that with school happening and all that." he explained as he sat down at one of the tables.

"Yeah that can be a pain, and it looks like we are getting started in 3...2...1"

And with that class was off. Some would say being friends with a teacher was weird, but he called it lucky. Two years earlier when he began studying in the field of entertainment technology he barely knew anything about it, but after some pointers from good old Ricky he managed to grasp the basics, and heck even now he could program pretty well. Still, the road was a long and twisted one, but as long as he stayed on track he would be alright.

Nothing really of interest happened during the course of the hour. Instead of programming like they had done, they were all forced to watch some documentary on the history of computers, and how games back in the day were made. It was kind of interesting, but nothing they hadn't seen before. Once it was all over though everyone upped and left as class came to an end.

"Hey Rich, don't forget what I told you." Ricky said to remind him.

"Right, Thursday morning and the screenplay. Got it. I'll see you around." he said before dashing off towards the Magnolia Building.

"Jeez, well he's still young I guess." Ricky said as he packed up his things.

And after only three hours he was free to do whatever he wanted, or at least that would be the case if he didn't promise to stop by the club. Eh, it was no sweat. He had heard that someone had brought in some new anime, and if anything could lift the mood of the partly cloudy day it was come good animations.

"Hm...maybe it's the newest season of Psycho Pass, or even Log Horizon. Huh, eh oh well guess I'll see when I get there." he told himself as he approached the set of double doors.

But just as always it seemed he couldn't go a day without him coming around for a visit. Time after time again he had been there just to pick on him for all to see, and it was getting really damn annoying. As he reached for the handle he heard that all too familiar voice, tha squeaky, annoying, degrading voice.

"What's up Chunky." he heard as he turned to see his goatee wearing ass.

Phil Burny, year four, and how could he put it simply? He was a punk; always picking on others who beat him in an online match of Street Fighter or even Smash Bros. He claimed at one point that he was a pro, but that title seemed to fade away and now most dubbed him as the King of Salt. Not only did he act like a douche, but he looked like one as well. His slicked back black hair, that stupid looking goatee, and not to mention his annoying laugh.

"Oh great, it's the King of Salt. What do you want Phil?" he asked as he let out a sigh.

"You owe me some money." he said in an annoyed tone.

"For what?" he asked in return.

"I saw what you did last night. You used the online delay to cheat your way to victory didn't you? You fucking fatass."

"Oi, no Phil you just suck at the game. Now if you will excuse me I've got somewhere I've got to be."

It seemed their little confrontation was drawing in a little crowd, but as he knew Phil had too big of an ego to just walk away. Instead the moment he turned around to leave he grabbed his shoulder, and with one spin he turned and delivered a hard punch to the left side of his face.

"Ugh..." he groaned as he hit against the door.

"Now I'm telling you to pay me my fifty bucks!" he demanded as he gave him a kick to the stomach.

"Gah, fuck off loser. You're just being salty." he said as he pulled himself up.

As others gathered to watch the fight though he could see that tough old Phil was getting a bit nervous. The last time he got in a fight he was suspended for a week, and yet he still persisted on continuing. With both arms up he tried to block the punches, but he could to nothing about the kicks.

"Come on, cough it up punk!" he demanded once more.

"Heh hey Phil, why don't you go out and get a real job, or better yet why not just leave..." he replied as he stood back up.

All of this over a stupid game of Street Fighter, it just went to show how pathetic he had gotten. As he stood there with their eyes connected he prepared for the next attack when he heard a loud groan come from the punk. What had happened? When he opened his eyes though he saw he had gone cross-eyed as his hands covered his crotch.

"Ugh...you dick..." he groaned before falling over to the ground.

"Heh serves you right." he said as he spat some of the blood coming from his lip and onto Phil's head.

But who had saved him? He couldn't have kicked him, and everyone else were still keeping their distance. It wasn't until he looked back that he saw his savior. That hair, those eyes, it was her, the same girl from before. Her eyes were only on him as she approached him with a little packet of tissues. He wanted to move, but couldn't as he held his sore left arm. Instead of talking to him though she simply offered him the tissues.

"Uh, thanks." he said as he took them.

How did she reply though? All she did was giggle before running off without saying a word to him. Before he could understand why she didn't talk to him, but why didn't she just then? Was she that shy, or just that weird? As he looked down at the tissues he smiled a bit before he headed inside.

"Strange girl, but I guess I do owe her a thanks for helping me out back there." he told himself as he wiped his bleeding lip clean of any blood.

"I wonder how the guys are doing?" he wondered as he approached the club door on the first floor.

Normally the Magnolia only contained the library, and a few computer labs, but from time to time they would rent out an empty room for those who wished to form a club. The only ones he knew of though were the Book Club, Science Club, and of course his own. The rooms weren't exactly big, but they made do with what they had.

Everything seemed fairly peace, that was until he took a hold of the door handle. It sounded like they were at it again as he opened it up to see what all the commotion was about. From the look of things it seemed his other two friends, Miles and Levy, were about to kill each other over which anime they should watch first and which to review.

"I'm not doing it!" Levy shouted as Miles pulled his arms back.

"You're doing it!"

"I told you I'm not doing it!" he shouted again before stomping on his foot.

"Gah, you're in my club and you'll do as I say!" Miles replied as he hoped around on one foot for a second.

"I brought the DVDs and soda!" Levy exclaimed as he tried to ram into his friend.

"Uh guys...?" Richard asked as he looked on.

Eh, just a normal day in the Anime/Manga club. It wasn't anything out of the ordinary, and even William knew that as he stood watching as well. To be fair though, it was pretty funny looking to see those two go at it.

"What did you bring?" Levy groaned as he pushed Miles against the walls, the shelves of DVDs and manga shaking as he did.

"The pain, oh!" he shouted before kneeing him in the gut.

And the moment he felt his opponent go limp he simply pushed him back to the table before proclaiming victory. With the fight over though he walked in and shut the door so he could finally relax.

"Sup?" Levy asked as he laid on the table.

"Oh nothing much. Just watching two skinny nerds fight over anime." he answered as he took a seat.

"Yeah, sorry about that. Why don't you tell us which one we should watch today?" asked Miles as he held up two DVD boxes.

"One Piece Movie Z or Dragonball Z: Battle of the Gods huh? These are dubbed right?" he asked as he tried to pick between them.

"Yep." answered William.

"Alright, One Piece then. We can just watch Dragonball on Thursday." he answered.

"Righto." he said before laying the DVD in the tray.

"Now you see Levy? How hard is it to do that?" asked Willaim.

"Very, you know how I feel about One Piece." he answered as he sat up.

As he sat up though he noticed the large bruise on the side of his friends face that had been inflicted earlier.

"Whoa, what happened to you?" he asked as he walked to the mini fridge to get him a bag of ice.

"It was nothing, just the King of Salt again."

"Again? What the hell is going on with that guy? Maybe we should go give him a good licking until he bows down and recognizes." said Levy as he handed him the bag.

"Now Levy you know what happened last time. Do you want to be sent home again for another week?" Miles asked as he turned the T.V on.

"No, but dang it I want to shove this DVD so far up his ass. He thinks he can just push those around who are different from him. Well let's see how different he looks when he's waddling everywhere." said Levy as he took the DVD box.

And just like that Willaim took it from him.

"Come on Kaos give that back." he demanded.

"No way, Richard you should seriously consider going to the dean for help with this one." he said as he threw the DVD onto the table.

"Yeah and for what? All he'll get is another suspension."

"Then we'll all go with you." said Levy.

"Nah it's alright. I've just got to endure his stupidity for another year and I'll be out of here." he said as he pressed the bag of ice to his face.

Yep, his school life was almost nearly over. In only a years time he would graduate and be off to live in the real world just like his mother and father were. But for the time being he had to keep up with his work, and try his hardest, and hopefully one day he would make something of himself. One day he would, that was a guaranty.


	2. Chapter 2 Nika

Chapter 2

Nika

The day came and went, and before he knew it Wednesday had arrived, and he knew what that meant; no school for him. Yep, unlike during his freshmen year he only had school two days a week, and in his spare time he would either be out and about on the town, drawing up new concept art, working on school projects, or at the gym. It felt good to not have to attend every day, and with the day looking rather nice it seemed he would be able to work in peace. Still, before he even thought about touching his sketch book there was one thing he needed to do first.

Well it was that time of week again, time to try and lose that gut of his. It was only eight thirty in the morning so there the building was mostly empty as he approached the door with his I.D tag. Anytime Fitness, the gym where anyone could go at anytime, as the name implied. Yeah it was a pretty nice place to go, especially when he was stressed out, but today he was there to burn himself up. With a warm jacket wrapped around his body, and his jogging pants keeping his legs warm he walked in as the echo of the bell above the door rung throughout the building.

"Ah~perfect." he said as he took a deep breath.

His normal routine was pretty simple, first was the stair climber, then the treadmill, then some arm crunches, then to end it all off a work out with some of the weights. With his mind clear and his Ipod on he stepped up to the stair climber and placed his feet on both foot holes before turning on the machine. Once the verticality had been turned down, and the resistance turned up to ten he was off. At most he could do two miles, but if he wanted to lose the weight he was going to have to push it.

"You can come to crash and burn, just wait your turn. You might have time to speak, but there was a lesson to learn. But barely a lesson learned, cause in return you take it back to me. Surely it tasted oh so sweet, but it was never good enough to me. I bid to never turn to fail, it was never good enough for me." he hummed as he began moving.

Despite him having asthma though he never really got that tired when he worked out. It kind of confused him, but maybe it was because he wasn't running all over the place, but instead taking a little walk instead. That was beside the point though, the place was empty and it felt good to have somepeace and quiet for once, unlike at school where he had people talking his ears out.

"Hm...maybe I should call her after my little work out. She's probably wondering how things are going." he said as he picked up the pace.

Yeah, living on his own was still a new thing, but hey it was better than living with cousins who didn't know how to knock when it came to entering his room. With over half a mile gained he checked his heart rate just to make sure it wasn't going crazy. With his feet still working the peddles he grabbed ahold of the metal bars around the two handle and held on tight.

"One thirty-five, that's not bad." he thought as he continued on.'

As he continued peddling though he heard the door open, but simply brushed it off as just the manager coming by to check up on things. With his eyes closed and mind on the music he focused only on his routine as he passed the mile mark. With sweat dripping from his arms, legs, and forehead he decided to was time for a little breather. After all, he didn't want to get completely burnt out before the hour was up.

"Whew, alright so just one more mile and it's off to the weights." he told himself while he caught his breath.

As he stood there with his water bottle resting beside him he heard someone coming up behind him. Normally he would be cool and calm, but the moment he heard them coming a slight chill ran down his back. Should he look? Did it really matter who it was? Not really, so without much thought he turned to look beside him.

"Oh you've got to be shitting me. She followed me here, really?" he groaned as he saw the same girl from yesterday standing on the stair climber beside him.

Was she stalking him or something, because that was the third time she had appeared where he was. OK well the first and second time could have been just a coincident, but coming to the same gym at the same time as him? He didn't know whether to be flustered, or scared. Even so she was still very beautiful, even in her black and white tank top, and those pants, both of which curved perfectly with her great assets, and her hair was even pulled back in a ponytail.

"Gah get a grip Rich, you have no chance at that. Just don't look her way and everything will be fine." he told himself as he continued peddling.

As much as he wanted to believe that though there was something about her that was alluring, and it wasn't just her looks. Just looking at her filled his body with good vibes, and her smile only added to that. Was it just his imagination? Probably, but the moment he glanced back over at her she simply smiled before turning her gaze towards him, then something amazing happened.

"Hey, uh, are you alright?" she asked.

"Huh?"

"Alright, are you alright?" she asked.

It was strange though, just from her voice he could tell she was nervous, but nervous about what? It couldn't have been him was it?

"Eh yeah I'm alright." he answered back as he tried to keep his own voice from trembling.

"Whew, that's good." she said as she went back to her own business.

Her nervous tone wasn't all that confused him though, her cheeks were turning red as well. Was she blushing because of him? Why was that? Was she hiding something, or was it merely a trick to get him to lower his guard? Well, there was only one way to find out.

"Um, thanks for the tissues yesterday." he told her as he kept his voice in check.

"It's alright, you needed them more than I did anyways." she replied back as her cheeks got even brighter.

"Alright so it isn't my imagination, but what's causing it?" he thought to himself as he turned his focus back to his meter.

With his little session almost complete though he slowed down and grabbed his towel to wipe the sweat from his arms and forehead. Watching her go though it was clear she was in the best of physical conditions. Heck, she even managed to complete the mile in under eight minutes; better than his own which was thirteen.

"Whew, what a machine huh?" she asked as she wiped her own forehead.

"Yeah, can I ask you something though?" he asked back.

"Hm?"

"Yesterday you seemed to had followed me. Was that on purpose or~"

"Huh, are you accusing me of being a stalker?" she asked as her smile vanished.

"Uh no, no I was just wondering was all. I just...crap." he said as his own cheeks lit up.

To his surprise though she didn't slap or even kick him like she did with Phil, but instead giggled again.

"Heheh I'm just teasing you. You've been going there for some time right?"

"Yeah, three years, why?"

"Same."

"So you're a junior as well?"

"Yeppy, only one more year and I can finally graduate."

"Nice, you seem set to do that."

It was strange, the more he talked with her the more his nerves began to settle. It was almost like he was talking with his cousin, but instead he was talking to the prettiest girl he had ever seen.

"Yep, want to come work out with the weights with me?" she offered.

"Hm, well I usually have a routine, but I guess I can break it just for today." he replied with a smile.

"Yahoo, work out partner!" she cheered before guiding him over to the benches.

Though he may had looked weak he was actually fairly strong. He didn't need a ten pound weight, or even a twenty pound weight; nope instead he went straight to the fifty pounders. As for her she took the twenty pounders for herself. With each curl he could feel his muscles tightening, and the same went for her as they sat side by side with nothing but a T.V to keep their minds off the burning sensation in their arms.

"Ugh, so what's your name?" she asked as she sat one down only to curl the other on its own.

"Richard Carizar, and you?" he asked as he worked with his arms.

"Nika, Nika Stine."

At that moment he dropped his weight, almost crushing his foot in the process, before looking back over towards her with a nervous sweat running down his face.

"S~Stine? You mean like Edward Stine?" he asked.

"Yep, the one and only."

"A-And you're his..."

"Bingo."

Crap, if he had known that then he would have known to stay away. Of course he knew the dean of his school had a daughter, but he didn't expect her to have brown hair and hazel eyes; if anything he expected long black hair and blue eyes, with a strict disposition too boot. Was it right for him to be hanging out with her in such a casual way?

"Hey are you alright?" she asked as she sat down her last weight.

"Yeah I just...YOUR FATHER IS EDWARD STINE?!" he yelled out.

"Yeah, but why does that matter?" she asked.

"Uh hello, have you seen how he can treat some of his students. No, no I can't risk it. Nope, nuh uh." he said as his body trembled.

The moment his little rant was over though the mood changed from happy and carefree to pretty depressing as she got up from her seat. No longer was there a smile on her face, but instead a frown as she prepared to leave. It actually soured his mood a bit.

"I understand. You don't have to be friends with me if you don't want to. I'll, just be going then."

What had he done? Yeah sure she may had been his daughter, but she was still a person just like him. Just seeing her sad face kind of made his own heart break in two, but could he really risk it? He had to choose quickly because the moment she stepped out that door it would all be over.

"God dang it Richard. Stupid idiot." he told himself as he grabbed his bag.

With haste he ran towards her, and just before she could even touch the hand bar he grabbed her wrist. With his grip firmly wrapped around her hand he tried to keep her from leaving, at least for the time being. With a gulp of air was ready to speak when she interrupted him.

"Let go please..." she begged as she jerked her arm forward.

"Not before you tell me what this is all about." he said before pulling her back towards him.

"Tell you what? That every time I tried to make a friend they said no because of my family name? Because I'm a Stine I can't make a single friend? There, are you happy now?" she told him straight out before pulling her hand free.

What he said after that though made her stop in her tracks.

"I can kind of see where you're coming from. Through high school I had no friends, nada, zilch, all I had were myself and my books. I guess it was the way I looked that most tended to avoid me, but when I came to MCC I finally found a group that I could relate with." he said as she closed the door.

"What are you saying?" she asked out of curiosity as she combed her bangs back.

"Look, it's not fun being alone, and so I'm not going to do that to you. I'll be your big bad bear friend." he said as he stuck his hand out.

Hearing that name though did manage to make her chuckle a bit as that beautiful smile began appearing again.

"Hehe big bad bear friend? Seriously?" she asked as everything began to clear up.

"OK then just your friend. Is that better?" he asked as he scratched the back of his head nervously.

Instead she proceeded to wrap her arms around him, and gave him a nice big hug; one that actually began hurting his back a bit. Eh, the pain was worth it as he gave her a hug back. Still, it was kind of weird to think someone like her would choose him to be her friend. It kind of made him wonder a bit.

"So want to hang out?" she asked as she let him go.

"Ah I can't, I've got a lot of work to do before tomorrow. But if you're free around one tomorrow then sure we can do something." he told her as he adjusted his glasses.

"Sounds good, but where do you want to meet?" she asked.

"Hm...how about by the fountain?"

"Great, that's pretty close to my next class anyways so that will work. But where are we going?" she said as she swung her bag over her shoulder.

"Don't worry, I've got it all up here." he assured her as he tapped his noggin.

"Uh before you go can I ask you one thing?"

"Shoot."

"Why did you pick me out of all the guys to be your friend?"

"Oh that's easy. I've seen you helping others out, and so I thought you were a nice guy." she replied before winking.

"And that's it?"

"Well there is one more thing..." she said as her cheeks began lighting up again.

"I'm all ears."

As she bit down on her bottom lip she began thinking of how she was to explain it to him.

"You uh...you remind of...of..."

"Of?"

"A panda..." she finished off with as her whole face went red.

Now that was pretty weird. Was she talking purely about his size?

"Panda?"

"Yeah, pandas are coolest, and you just looked so huggable and cuddly just like them. Sorry..."

"Uh no, no it's fine. I guess being a panda is pretty cool, but I still think lions are the best." he teased.

"Oh please, one sit and that lion would be down for the count."

"Sure, just keep telling yourself that." he replied as they both chuckled.

Huh, so it seemed all she wanted was a friend to hang out with, and if things went well maybe it would evolve into something a bit more, but maybe he was just getting ahead of himself. For soon something would happen that would change he and his friends forever.


	3. Chapter 3 The Anime and Manga Club

Chapter 3

The Anime and Manga Club

So the day came and went, nothing new and nothing really all that special. With all his assignments turned in though, and with nothing else added to his schedule it seemed he had the weekend all to himself. Seriously, it felt like his wrists were about to snap in half after all that drawing he had to do the night before, but with that out-of-the-way, and with no extra assignments added the weekend was looking pretty good to him. No sketch pads, no colored pencils, and no stress; the up coming weekend was going to be awesome.

With both classes complete and his books all packed up he looked down at his watch and saw that it read almost one in the afternoon, and he knew what that meant. With his books packed up, and his spirit held high he made his way out of the building, and across the street towards the fountain where he could see Nika waiting for him.

"Thank you." he whispered as he crossed the street.

Once across he was home free, and it looked as if she was ready to go as well. With her bag thrown over her shoulder, and a sweet smile on her face it was clear she was ready for some fun. Actually thinking about that made him wonder she did for fun before? With no friends to hang out with did she spend most of her time at home and at the gym? Who knew, but that was in the past.

"Heyo, so you ready to go?" he asked as he adjusted his book bag.

"Sure, but where? You're not taking me any place weird are you?" she asked with a raised brow.

"Eh...weird isn't the best word. You'll see when we get there though."

"Really, wouldn't you rather tell me?" she asked as she stared at him.

"Oh you'll see when we get there." he assured her.

"Hm~okies, but you have to promise me no weird stuff OK?" she asked of him.

"Rest assured I won't let anything like that happen."

"Good, then shall we go?" she asked before jumping on his back.

"Uh, what are you doing?"

"A piggie back ride."

"Do I look like a horse?" he asked in a slightly annoyed tone.

"Nope, but you're soft and warm. Pretty please? Just this once, and I promise you won't have to do it ever again." she asked of him as she flashed those pretty hazel eyes at him.

"Oi, well if it makes her happy then one little ride won't hurt right?" he told himself before taking off towards the Magnolia Building.

The fact that he had a girl hanging onto his back was weird enough, but that he was giving her a piggie back ride in the middle of the campus with others around still stumped him. The looks they gave them, they were daggers of jealousy, or sadness, but either way she seemed to like it. With her arms carefull placed around his neck, he held onto them so she wouldn't slip and fall, while her legs were curled around his stomach. Yeah, the looks were annoying, but it did his heart good to know she was having some fun as she giggled and patted his back to make him go fast.

"Heheh come on you can go faster can't you?" she begged.

"Only if~you want me to~pass out." he told her as he began running short of breath.

But that wouldn't be necessary because the moment his lungs began working overtime was the moment they arrived at the double doors of the building. Oh thank god, if he had to run with her on her back any more his lungs would have broken in two. Once she jumped down though he took a deep breath to retrieve what air he lost.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

"I'm fine, just a bit of asthma is all." he told her as he took one last deep breath.

"Oh, I didn't push you too hard did you?" she asked in a worried tone.

"Nah, I've had it since I was six. I'll be fine, just not more rides for while please." he said before opening the door.

With her little nod in agreement they both made their way past the library and to the series of club rooms. Once he grabbed a hold of the door handle though he stopped to tell her something. It was for the best if she was to was hang out with them.

"I must warn you these few can be a bit, rambunctious at times." he told her.

"Oh how bad can they be?" she asked in response.

"You have no idea."

And with that he opened the door up only to be greeted by the shouts and groaning of his friends. Figured, even though they all liked anime and video games they could never come to a single consensus on what they should watch or play. Still it wasn't exactly the best way to introduce them to his new friend as they rolled around on the floor, kicking and punching from time to time.

"Are they alright?" she asked as her eyes followed their every movement.

"Yeah...I'll be right back." he said he storming into the shit storm before him.

With both Levy and Miles wrestling around on the floor it didn't take much of an effort to get up behind them, and grab them both by the back of their heads. But instead of stopping right there he simply forced them to headbutt each other.

"There, now stay down the both of you." said Richard as he dropped them both.

"Ah, come on bud we were just having a little friendly tussle. You know, to find who's the strongest and all that good stuff." stated Levy as he rubbed his forehead.

"No, we asked you to pick a game, but you refused to do even that. Come on get your head in the game."

"I told you I don't like those games, but you just had to bring them." Levy replied as he became even more annoyed.

"Then don't play!"

"How about both of you calm your road for just a moment." Richard said as he tried to take control of the situation.

"You brought something for us?" asked Miles.

"Not really, but~"

"Does it have something to do with that girl over there?" asked William as he pointed to Nika.

To Richard's surprise though she seemed kind of wrapped up in the anime and manga that surrounded her. Heck, she was even flipping through some of the pages as her eyes scanned each one. She even took a look at their little figure collection they had going on to their right.

"Oh my god, you guys have the Alter FA4 Arcueid Brunestud figure, and the special edition Madoka Magica figure that came out only in Japan? Oooo and what's this?" she asked as she looked through the glass case at all the figures they had on display.

"...So I take you you're a fan of anime and manga then?" asked Richard.

"Oh yeah, I've seen tons of it, and I've played some visual novels myself. Oooo do you guys have any of those?" she asked, excitedly.

Well that was pretty surprising, just from her looks and personality he wouldn't have gotten that she was into that kind of stuff, but if she was then that was even better. There was still one problem though. How would the guys react when he told them who she was? Edward Stine wasn't really known as a bad guy, but from what they had heard he can be pretty damn strict, but would he really mind her hanging out with them?

"Yeah, but first we need your name sweetheart." said Levy.

"Oh sorry about that, I'm Nika Stine."

"Oh that's ni~wait rewind, Stine? As in the daughter of Edward Stine?"

All she did was nod as she fidgeted around, nervous of what they would think.

"Now guys don't get in a panic. I assure you she's nothing like him."

"Oh, and how do you know that?" asked William.

"Because we kind of hung out at the gym yesterday."

That seemed to surprise them more than the fact that the dean's daughter was in their room.

"Oh ho, so you finally managed to talk to a girl. How long has that been? Three years now?" asked Levy.

"Yeah yeah, just don't freak out about this guys. She barely has any friends, so I thought I would bring her here for a bit of fun." he stated.

"Yeah but, she's a~"

"Yes she's his daughter, but come on she needs a place to have fun for once."

As they discussed the matter though Miles grabbed his camera and began snapping photos of her, like she was a model. It kind of made her blush, but if they needed pictures of her to join then she guessed it wasn't that big of a deal.

"Hm, with this figure she could become our group's full on cosplayer."

"Cosplayer? But I've never done anything like that before." she said as she wiggled a bit.

"Don't worry about that, Richy here usually picks out pretty good costumes for us, and I'm sure he could do the same for you. Right?"

"I mean yeah, but that's if you want to do it." he said as they all looked at her.

"But dude~" Levy said.

"It's up to her if she really wants to do this, and if she says no then that's her call no matter out cute, or sexy, or~" he began saying before his mind trailed off.

To cosplay, she wasn't really sure if she wanted that. From what she had seen on the internet most girls dressed up in pretty revealing clothing, and she just wasn't sure if she wanted all those eyes on her. But then again if she had them there to help her then it probably wouldn't be too bad.

"Um, will I get a body-guard?" she asked.

"Of course, Richy here will stay with you since you two seem to know each other." Miles assured.

"Hey, what about me?!" exclaimed Levy.

"You're just a side character. Now shoo." Miles said as he smacked him in the back of the head with a rolled up school newspaper.

"Richard?" she asked as she pushed her two fingers together.

"Yeah?"

"You don't mind doing that do you?" she asked him as she looked down slightly.

"Of course not, I mean you need someone to keep you safe, and I'm sure I can at least do that."

"Really? You'll stick with me until it's finished?" she asked as she looked back up at him.

"No one will touch you so long as I'm around. I'll break their arms if they even try to touch you. Come here Levy let me show her." he teased.

"Uh no." he said as he sat down.

That was a relief, even though she may had been the deans daughter not everyone knew that, and with her looks some might have tried to take advantage of her. Even though she took self-defense lessons as a kid she wasn't sure if that would be enough to fend off a gang if one approached. Stupid leechers, but at least she would get to spend more time with her new friends.

"Hm, I guess I can give it a shot, but do you have anything that isn't so revealing?" she asked.

"Will?" asked Miles.

"Let's see, Sailor Moon, no, Maken Ki, no. Oh wait here we do. We've got a fresh Hawkeye costume right here." he said as he pulled out the blue military uniform.

"That will work." she said with a smile.

"And we even have some hair die if you feel like going all the way with it." suggested Miles.

"Yeah, I think I'll just style my hair like hers."

"That works too." Will said as he placed the costume on the table.

"Hehe isn't this great? We get to spend even more time together." Nika said as she hugged Richard's arm.

"Uh yeah, really great." he said as he felt her chest pushing against his hands.

Once that was out-of-the-way though it was onto more serious matters for the group. With haste Miles grabbed the dry erase board and dragged it out so everyone could see the Halloween logo on the front. He seemed rather serious about the whole thing.

"Alright, so as you all know the city's annual Halloween festival is being held tomorrow night down at the old field of College Drive. There will be lots of people there, and we too will be attending."

"And let me guess you want some of us to dress up in costumes to sell your manga right?" asked Levy.

"Yep, but that will be only for you and Kaos."

"Then what about us?" asked Nika.

"Oh, you two will be out and about since Richy here doesn't really cosplay. Still if you're comfortable with wearing that outfit you're free to take it home for the day and try it out."

"Sounds like a plan." she said as she let go of his arm.

"Good, now while there pleas for the love that is good and pure in this forsaken universe, don't cause any trouble."

"I make no promises." Levy assured.

"You better or else you'll find your ass kicked out just like last year."

"So I had a few drinks, that girl wanted me."

"OK well first off that was a guy, and second no drinking for you." William followed up.

"Oh come on, just one little cup."

"No..."

"Please?"

"No!" they all yelled at once.

"Awe~"

"Now remember that it starts at around seven o'clock so it would probably be best you get there early so you don't have to suffer through the line."

"Got it." William said.

"So are we all set on this?"

"Yeah!" they all cheered.

Later that night around the Stine table everyone had sat down to enjoy the meal her lovely mother had made for them, though this time around her nerves were a bit more scattered. She wanted to go to the Halloween festival, she really did, but would her father let her go if he knew they were all boys? Even if they were kind and sweet he would still assume that they were up to something.

"So how did things go today at school?" he asked her as he continued to eat his chicken.

"Fine, I got an A on my Math Test." she replied back as she ate her peas.

"Oh? That's great sweetie." her mother said as she gave her a kiss on the top of her head.

"Indeed, good grades and retaining that knowledge can lead to a good future in becoming a nurse."

"Yeah." she replied in a slightly nervous voice.

Once he picked up on that though those blue eyes of his were only focused on her for the time being. From her tone he could pick up that she was nervous about something, and he thought he knew what it was. With his plate clean and is glass empty he moved them aside before clutching his hands together.

"So, I saw you hanging out with someone today, a boy."

Her heart almost skipped a beat as she forced the rest of the peas down her throat, before taking a sip of her water.

"You knew?" she asked as she moved around in her chair.

"Mhm, I saw you two standing by the fountain today from my office window, and then..."

"The piggy back ride?" she asked as her cheek lit up.

"Yeah." he followed up.

"Dad please he's not a bad guy and~"

"A bad guy? Why would you think I would think he was a bad guy?"

"Well honey you do tend to scare off many of the boys." Margret said as she sipped her tea.

"Yeah, because those boys I've never seen before. However I've seen him and his little friends take charge in community service around the school, and they always try and sell their little comics during school festivities. They seem a bit strange, but pretty harmless if you ask me." she replied back with a smirk.

"So you don't mind if I hang out with them?" she asked as the mood lifted a bit.

"Well, keep that pepper spray with you, just in case, but let's just say I have a bit more faith in them than some of those other boys."

That was a big relief to her. What she thought would have happened didn't, and it looked as if they were set to go. Well almost, there was still something they had to talk about.

"So dad, there's this Halloween festival going on down at College Drive, and I was wondering if maybe I could go with my friends?" she asked as she waited for his answer.

"The same friends?" he asked in a demanding tone.

"Yes sir." she replied as she nodded her head.

"And security will be present right?"

"I assume so."

"What about alcohol?"

"Eh yes, but we promised to not to drink any of it."

"What about a body-guard?"

"Dad..."

"Well I just want to know that you're safe."

"Honey, don't worry so much. I'm sure everything will be fine, and she'll return safe and sound."

"Hm, alright, but I want to meet with at least one of your friends, and you'll be home by twelve. Am I clear?" he asked of her.

"Yes dad, I'll have him come pick me up. Is that fine?"

"That will work."

"Thank you." she said sweetly before finishing up her meal.

Once done though she grabbed the costume William had given her and ran upstairs to try it on. With the sun having already gone down she turned on her lamps before changing into the costume. It seemed to had been fitted for a slim female like herself, and while a bit snug it at least covered her up. As she stood in front of her mirror though she wondered what other kind of costumes they had. Were there any kinky ones, or maybe even ones from hentai. Knowing them though they probably had those stashed away someplace secret.

"Hm, maybe I should have taken the dye." she told herself as she tried to style her hair a bit.

As she pulled it back into a little bun on the back of her hair though she noticed the big panda her dad had gotten her for her tenth birthday way back when. With a big smile she jumped on the bed and began snuggling it between her arms. Ah, the times when she was but a kid, but now as an adult she didn't really have much time to play with her toys with school and everything else. Still, she wanted to keep it just as a reminder.

"Hehe I hope he likes this." she said softly as she laid on the bed with the bear close.


	4. Chapter 4 Night Terror

Chapter 4

Night Terror

Well the night had finally come. After a day of swapping numbers and discussing where they would meet it was time to get everything underway. With the time only being 7 P.M the night was still young, and with midnight being their deadline they would have plenty of time to play around while their friends tried to sell their homemade comics and mangas. As the moon began rising over their house Nika began making some last-minute adjustments to her costume. With her hair made to look like Lieutenant and the clothes all fixed up so that it fit snug against her body she seemed ready to go.

"Hm, maybe I should make it a bit baggier like on the show." she thought as she spun around in the costume.

Whoever made it sure did a good job though. Every little marking, and every little badge looked just like it did on the show. As she admired herself in the mirror though she heard the doorbell ring before she heard her mother calling out to her. It was time to get the show on the road.

"Nika sweetie, your friend in here!" she heard before grabbing her bag.

"Dad please don't pester him too much." she begged as she began walking downstairs.

By the sound of it though everything was going pretty smoothly. There was no yelling, no arguing, maybe bringing him wasn't a bad idea after all. Once she stepped down to the bottom step though she could see her father and Richard sitting across each other from their living room table, their eyes focused on each other as each tried to keep calm. With a deep breath Rich began by answering his questions.

"So tell me, have you ever received a ticket?"

"No sir, I've got a clean record there." he boasted.

"Hm, what about alcohol?"

"I'll drink a bit, but not enough so I wouldn't be able to drive." he answered with a straight face, inside though his nerves were working overtime.

"Good, and just what do you plan on doing at this festival?" he asked as those bright blue eyes stared right into his student's soul.

"Uh well I thought I would take Nika out for some fun while my friends tried to make some extra money for our club."

"What kind of fun, and just what are you selling?" he asked more intensely.  
>"Whoa OK we're just going to play some games and relax, and we're just selling comics." he told him straight out as he leaned back on the couch.<p>

"And what kind of games are these?" he asked as he continued to glare at him.

Christ, those eyes could take anyones soul, but with luck maybe it would all be over and they could get on with their plans., though that wasn't needed as his wife decided to interrupt them before things could progress any further.

"Now honey I'm sure he mean no harm to our little girl. Do you?" she asked as she leaned over towards him.

"No, no I swear nothing like that will happen. We're just going there to relax and have some fun is all, I promise." he replied with haste as his muscles began trembling.

"See? They're good to go." she said as she patted his shoulder.

"Yeah ok, but~"

But before he could finish what he was saying his lovely daughter interrupted as she pulled him up from the couch, and towards the open door. If she knew her father as well as she did they would have been there for hours going back and forth, but since they were on a timer she thought it would be best if she took things into her own hands. As she pulled him towards the door though her father tried to stop them.

"Hey, remember you two midnight tonight!" he called out, only to receive a little wave back from her before she closed the door behind them.

"Jeez, you're still a big worry wart over her. You know she's 22 now, you can't keep treating her like a child forever." Margret said as he sat back down.

"Yeah yeah I know, but I just don't want anything to happen to her that would ruin her life." he said as he took a deep breath.

"Hey, just have faith that she'll make the right choices, and she'll be alright." she said as she grabbed his hand.

"Maybe, but still..." he questioned as they heard the truck drive off.

While they settled things at home both were off to the festivities, and being only a few miles away it wouldn't take long for them to get there. With the moon rising, and the clouds clearing it was looking to be a great night, and with that cool breeze it was made even better after the last heat wave. As he drove though he tried to not stare at her, but she did look pretty awesome in it.

"Want some music?" he offered as he turned on the radio.

"Sure, sounds good." she replied.

As he turned the little knob though to flip through the channels something caught his attention on the news channel.

"Reports are coming in from around the area of bright lights flashing in the sky. Though close enough to view though scientists can't seem to verify what exactly is causing it. We'll update you on this story as it progresses." they heard before he changed it.

"Eh who's needs the news." he said before changing it to some rock.

"Bright flashes though, maybe the light of the moon is causing it?" pondered Nika.

"Maybe, or maybe it's aliens coming to eat our brains." he teased as they approached the site.

"Oh yeah, and to impregnate the women." she followed up as they both had a good chuckle about it.

Oh the kinds of stories that appeared in the news; from flying saucers to mythical animals. It all just sounded like a heap of lies to them though. With only half a mile to go though they wouldn't have to listen to it for long. With the front entrance in view it was only a matter of time before they could finally start relaxing after a hard week at school.

"And we have arrived." he said before pulling up into the nearest parking space.

"There aren't many kids here are there?" followed Nika as she looked around through the windshield.

"Yeah, this one is mostly meant for young adults, but you'll see when you're inside." he promised before jumping out.

And right he was for the moment they paid for their pass and stepped through the gate they were greeted by more stuff then they could handle. Stands stretched from end to end while a corn-stalk maze sat to their right, and a haunted forest rested at their left. From up on the hill they couldn't really hear it, but it seemed they managed to get one of the local bands to play. Jack-o-lanterns covered the ground while wooden cut outs of classic movie monsters pointed the way to each section of the grounds.

"Wow, it's a lot bigger than I thought it would be." she said as they proceeded towards their set stand.

"Yeah, we usually come here every year to try to gain a bit of money. Sure we don't get much, but you got to take what you can get you know?"

When he didn't hear her answer though he turned to find out she was already partaking in the festivities. With her head dunked in the water she tried her best to grab an apple with her mouth. Just seeing her dunking in and out was pretty funny to watch as water got all over her outfit and hair. As he watched though an all too familiar voice came up behind him.

"Well, well it seems you're both already having some fun there." he heard, before turning to find it was William.

"Yeah well if she wants to play I can't really stop her can I?"

"True that, but anyways do you remember where we are?" he asked as he held the box of manga on his shoulder.

"That way right?" replied Richard as he pointed to his left.

"Yep, third stand to your right."

"Nice, so I suppose the others are here as well?"

"Yeah, they're stocking up now. I was just heading back to the car to grab more copies."

The instant he mentioned he had new copies though their playful friend rose back up with an apple in her mouth and snatched a copy away from the box, just to take a little peek. Well it certainly did fit the holiday, that was for sure. With colorful pages and an interesting story behind it she found herself kind of liking it.

"So what do you think?" asked William.

"It's pretty cool. Who made it?" she asked once she spat out the apple into her hand.

"Miles, he draws it up, Levy colors it in, and as for me I mass produce them. It's a very tedious process, but it's well worth it for the few extra bucks."

"Yeah, but it looks really good. Hope you sell a lot." she said with a smile, handing the book back.

"Yeah, but if we don't that's fine as well, that's what normal jobs are for anyways. Well I better get back before those two turn our stand to ruins. Catch ya both later." he said before running off.

Well they had the night to themselves, but what would they do first? If they got hungry both had money for snacks, and with so many games to play it almost gave them a headache. It was decided though that they would start small, and work their way up. So to kick things off they started off with Ball Throw. With a dollar in hand Nika decided to take the challenge.

"You sure you're up for this? Those are a lot of bottle." he said as he gazed across the group of 15 bottles just begging to get knocked down.

"Please, they use to call me Pinpoint Nika in little league." she said as the tender brought forth her three baseballs.

"Oh really, then let's see that arm in action."

With her target locked on the very center of the group she took a deep breath before lining up her sight once more. Once she threw her arm back though it was all over for the poor bottle. With a good windup she let it loose as it went speeding towards her target until it met its mark. Bottles scattered everywhere as each caused a domino effect that knocked down each and every one of them.

"Jesus!" she exclaimed as he saw the bottles fall to the ground.

"Told ya." she said with a wink.

"Good on you girly. Now which prize would you like? You can pick from the right side." he said as he gestured to the Halloween themed plushies.

"Hm, I'll take the Frankenstein Monster please." she replied back.

"Alright, and here ya go. Have a nice night." he said before handing her the plush, only to add in a howl at the end that kind of made them cringe.

As they walked away they began chuckling at just how into it he was. Sure, he was earing a werewolf costume, but the howl just made it seem more funny than terrifying. To their surprise though only thirty minutes had passed since they arrived; which meant they were in no hurry.

"Oh here we go! This is my jam." he said as they approached a shooting range.

"Guns?"

"Yep, I may not look it, but I've got a pretty solid history with guns. Just watch and learn." he answered before handing the tender three bucks.

It did interest her a bit that he had used guns before, but she couldn't see him as the violent type. All she could do though was watch as he took the lined up the rifle with his targets, while the tender placed ten shots down on the counter. With a deep breath he tried to keep a steady hand as he lined up his sight.

"Relax, just remember was Sergeant told you." he thought.

"Are you ready to start?" the tender asked as he placed his finger on the start button.

"Yeah." he said before taking another breath.

Once the timer started the game was underway. With sight lined up with his first target he took steady aim, and gently pulled the trigger as the moving target came into view. With a single shot he managed to take down the wooden ghoul, but there were still nine left. Once more, he grabbed another plastic pellet, loaded it up, and took steady aim as the werewolf came into view. And just like before the beastie went down. He was on fire as he continued hitting most of his targets, missing only two, but still it was a good effort.

"Oooo better watch out, this is your last shot." she teased.

All he did was raise his hand before taking aim again. With his breath steady he lined up with his undead target, and with a swift pull he shot right towards its chest. Once it went down the game ended as he sat the gun down. Man, it felt good to do that against after three years.

"Congrats sir, you shot eight out of ten targets. You may pick your prize from the center." the man said as he moved out-of-the-way.

"Hm, I think I'll take the Creature from the Black Lagoon model set."

"Very good sir. I hope you both have a wonderful night." he replied as he handed him the kit.

Well that was fun, it actually kind of reminded him of his old J.R.O.T.C days in high school, except not as funny. Now that he got his prize it was time to head over to something else. There were many things to do, but there was one game that he wanted to show her.

"You're going to put that up in the club room aren't you?" she asked.

"Sure am, I might even swap one of the figures with it just to tease them." he said before snickering.

"Gasp, I thought you weren't like that." she said as a smirk spread across her face.

"Now I never said that..." he answered as he smirked back.

"True, so what's up next?"

"Well if you're up for it there's this pretty cool game that's not too far from here."

"Oh, what is it?" she asked curiously.

"You'll see." he answered before guiding her to the western sector of the festival.

Oh she would alright, it was something that happened every year on Halloween, and this year it was their turn to get in on the action. After a good five-minute walk they came to one of the larger portions of the area. Before them was a fenced in area, and inside were people who looked to had been shooting at zombies.

"Wait, you're not suggesting we do this right?"

"They're just people in zombie make-up. Plus it's really fun. Me and Miles participated last year and we had a blast."

"So you won?"

"No, but we did have fun."

"Oh, but how do you play?" she asked in concern.

"It's simple, once you pay they hand you this red colored tag. You attack it to the back of your pants. You also get the choice of one gun to use, and you're given a little pocket of pellets to use. Hit a zombie in the head and they're considered dead, but don't let them take your tag or else you're out."

"Oh so it's like tag football then."

"Yep, it's that simple. Oh, there are also towers surrounding the arena where players can climb and snipe. So don't worry, I'll have your back out there." he promised.

She would need to think on it for a bit, but just when she thought she had her answer an all too familiar voice came up behind the two of them. Who was it? It was time to roll out the red carpet for the King of Salt himself, Phil. His smug face just made him even more annoyed that he had showed up, and just when things were starting to get good.

"Wooo look who we have here. Little Chubby Richy, and oh, you actually got yourself a date. Isn't she the sweetest little sugar lump." he teased as he stood before them with his two goons Lia and Johnny.

"Hey Phil, shouldn't you be home with your underaged girlfriend? Oh wait, that's right you're too pussy whipped to go back."

"Hey, shut the fuck up man. At least I can get a girl!"

"Yeah, a girl who's six years younger than you, sixteen was she?"

"Grrrr, well fine, then maybe I'll just take your girl for myself then." he hissed before grabbing Nika by her sleeve, pulling her over.

With his grip on her being tight she couldn't move away as the other two grabbed the sides of her jacket she couldn't escape. Things were looking pretty messy too as Phil reached around to grab at one of her breasts. Her lips quivered as she felt his hand grab her, but Richy wasn't having any of that.

"Let me go!" she growled as she struggled to get free.

"Why would I do that my dear? After all you look so tasty." he snickered before licking along her neck.

"Phil, if you don't cut this crap out I will call the police, and have you arrested for molestation."

"Oh really? Look around you, there's barely anyone around this area, and without evidence you can't prove nothing." he said as his hand began moving south.

Anger began filling up inside of him as he tried to find a way to get her free. But it seemed she had it covered all herself, for as soon as he began reaching for her she drove her elbow into the molesters ribs, and before the other two could reach she did the same to their faces. Once free she raced back over to her friend who was kind of chuckling at their pain.

"That's what you get for messing with her." he said as Phil rubbed his sore chest.

"Fine, you want to play then? Let's play." he growled before charging at him.

Using his head Phil forced him up again the fence, before giving him a swift punch to the face. It hurt sure, but with his new-found rage Richard managed to grab his next punch, and instead turned him towards the fence before giving him a few punches to the face and chest.

"Ugh, back off you fatass!" he growled before shoving him back.

"Then give up and walk away."

"Never, you think this is over you swine? I'm still standing!" he declared.

Then and there it was as if karma answered him with a big "fuck you" as something from the sky began heading right towards them. Quickly both Richard and Nika moved as Lia and Johnny ran over to support their friend as he stood back up. Meanwhile the object began its descent towards the ground as others began yelling as it approached the fair grounds.

"Phil, you've got to move now!" exclaimed Richard as Nika followed him back.

"What's wrong? Scared yet Richy?" he teased.

But by the time he looked up it was too late. The object crashed right into them, squashing them like bugs under a shoe. Quickly Richard and Nika moved backwards as the object began skidding towards them, only to have a group of people behind them who heard and saw the debris.

"Oh my god..." Nika said softly and in shock.

"Nika, we need to go now." he said as he tried pushing through the crowd.

His way out was blocked however as their three friends joined them.

"Whoa, what the hell is that?" asked Levy as they pushed through to the front.

"Once the dust settles we'll see." William said.

"Maybe it's a piece of space debris, or a chunk from the space station."

But once the dust began to settle everyone knew what had happened. It wasn't a chunk of space rock, or a piece of the space station, but instead a dark blue space craft, one none of them had ever seen. It was in the shape of a boomerang, and had only one central compartment. Some were interested, but some also wanted to get away before something strange happened.

"Awesome!" Levy declared before running over to touch it.

"Levy, get back over here." Miles hissed.

"Relax, touching it won't do anything." he said as he slowly moved towards it.

As he got closer though something began to happen, the dome over the central compartment began opening. As he stepped back though something shot out of it, something that looked a lot like a lightning bolt, and in and instant they found their friend on the ground with a large hole in his shirt.

"Levy!" Miles called out, before running out to grab him.

But instead he found himself being attacked by the same kind of bolt. Two were down as the other three stayed away from the object. That didn't seem to do much of anything though as a third bolt hit William. Three were down, with only Richard and Nika remaining he grabbed her and began moving towards the crowd, but it was too late. The moment he decided to turn a final bolt shot out and nailed him right in the chest, just like the others.

"Agh, what's this burning~" he thought as he held his chest.

Everything was starting to go black as he fell to the side. The last thing he heard before blacking out was the sound of Nika calling out to him.

"Richard? Richard!?"


End file.
